But Not Reality
by LivvyWoolf
Summary: She knew fairy tales were a load of crap, but what happens when prince charming appears in the form of her ex-lover? Who is he, and why does he have some interests in her? ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever so I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Do I own yugioh? If I won the lottery maybe, but I haven't so damn...

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Chapter 1

The Encounter

"Joey! Are you done?!" I yelled as I began to run down the hallway of our two bedroom apartment. Being in a rush to get to school I notice that Joey was still in his pajama pants with his ruffled hair. I stare at him with a look that I only give whenever I was annoyed. The first month of school hadn't passed yet and Joey was already taking the day off.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" I asked as he continues his way from his room to our small kitchen. Following behind him, I notice something strange about his demeanor. He wasn't as high spirited as he usually is, and if I hadn't noticed correctly, it seemed like he was crying.

But what could make him cry? I had never seen Joey like this ever before, well except during Battle City when Marik had trapped Mai in the shadow realm, but that was years ago. It wasn't until we were in the kitchen, with Joey sticking his head in the fridge, that the answer had struck me.

Mai.

Almost every day I would wake up to Mai's cooking, and the fresh aroma of coffee that she usually made before heading off to work. Even though she had an apartment for herself, she was always here after she got off from work. It had never bothered me that she was literally living with us, since most of her stuff was in our apartment. In fact I enjoyed her company, living in a small apartment with an older brother and having to talk about girl stuff wasn't something I enjoyed doing much. Mai was like an older sister to me and I loved her for making Joey happy.

They have been dating ever since our mother had allowed me to stay with Joey. Their relationship was something that came out of a fairy tale; something that you don't come upon ever so often. The happy couple had always done everything together so it was rare to see one without the other.

At times the gang and I would envy the happy couple, jealous that they found true happiness with one another, something that we couldn't find. (Even though we knew Tea and Yugi had something for one another, but that was another story.) But we supported them, even with the age gap, Mai being two years older than Joey. Of course neither of them were bothered by the age difference, at one point Mai had told me that the younger they are, the better they were in bed. I, of course, turn scarlet red after her comment on Joey.

But today was different. It was now that I realized that I hadn't woken up to the fresh aroma of coffee. Instead I was awaken by the annoying sound of my alarm clock, which usually went off after I was up.

Something had happened, and it didn't seem good. Joey finally took his head out of the fridge with a piece of cold pizza in his mouth. I looked over at him again, pleading with my eyes for him to tell me what was wrong, but nothing came out. Instead he just looked back down again, shook his head and walked right back into his room.

I knew it wasn't my business to interfere, but I had to find out what had happened. Sighing, I grabbed my bag that was placed on the sofa, walked towards the door, though before I left I glanced once more to where Joey had walked off. Feeling his sadness, I sighed once more and walked out of the apartment.

The weather outside was surprisingly pleasant for mid-September. Sakura trees, during this time of year radiantly showered the environment, making my walk to school much more pleasant. But I couldn't think of myself at this moment, Joey needed my help more than ever, if he wanted it or not. Grabbing my phone from my bag, I dialed the one number I memorized by heart.

Placing the phone by my ear, I wait for an answer on the other line. As it began to ring, I continue my way to school hoping for an answer. It rang four times before someone answered.

"_Hello_," said a weary voice on the other end.

"Mai, are you okay?" I asked as I noticed the tiredness of her voice. This wasn't like Mai, she was always up and ready during this time, something wasn't adding up with both Joey and her.

"_Oh hey Ren, I didn't notice it was you hun._" she answered back. "_Why are you calling me this early in the day?_"

"Mai, you're always up and ready during this time. What's wrong? Why are you and Joey out of it this morning; what happened?" I asked getting a bit concerned.

There was a long silence on the other end until I heard a muffle followed by a sob. Mai was crying, this was very unusual. Continuing my walk, I notice a familiar black limo drive by heading towards Domino University, the same school I was attending. If I had noticed clearly, I would have seen the window roll down as a pair of blue eyes gazed at my direction. But of course I didn't, instead I waited for Mai to cease crying. It took her a while to regain her composer, but when she finally did I asked her again what had happened.

_"__Ren, I'm sorry, I just… can't take it anymore."_ She replied, still getting nowhere to figuring out what was wrong.

"Mai, you have to explain better than that. I know this must be hard on you, but I want to help. You and Joey mean so much to me I don't like seeing both of you hurt." I explained. "You're like the older sister I never had, please let me help."

There was a long pause after I had finished. I turned the corner, realizing I had about a ten minute walk until I reached the university. I would wait if it took longer than the ten minutes though; family always came first in my book.

Hearing a sigh on the other end I knew I had made some progress.

_"__You're not going to give up are you hun,"_ Mai replied with a small laugh, sensing it was more of a statement than a question.

I smiled, happy that I had got her to laugh. "You know me Mai, I'm not a quitter. If anything I'd probably skip classes today to figure this out in person, but I have a calculus test I can't get out of so help me out here, please." I pleaded.

She gave out a big sigh, while I mentally patted my back knowing my pleas worked, _Nice work Ren_.

_"__Ren, Joey and I broke up."_ Was all she said. I stopped walking, not believing what I had just heard. How could this have happened? Mai was lying, that was the only perfectly good explanation I had, because it couldn't have happened, right? They were meant to be together, after hearing all those stories about Joey and Mai from Duelist Kingdom, I knew that those two were destined. I had just saw them two nights ago laughing and playing around like they always do, enjoying their time. What could have happened in one single night that could have led to this? I didn't want to believe it, it made no sense. And the more I thought about it, the more I was giving myself a headache.

_"__Ren, Serenity, are you still there?"_ She asked with a worried tone. Of course I wasn't there, well physically yes, but mentally, I had to get back to her on that.

I still couldn't believe it, why had this have to happen? Life was so great that nothing could ruin it, not even _him_. A pang of sadness filled me, remembering past memories that I had locked away. Looking back I realized that life wasn't as perfect as I thought it could be, as naïve as I was, I knew fairy tales didn't exist, in dreams maybe, but not reality.

_"__Ren, you're scaring me, please answer me,"_ Again she tried to gain my attention, but it didn't work. I was too consumed with sadness that I couldn't answer her.

Frustrated with the situation, I wanted to scream with the top of my lungs, but I knew I couldn't do that on a busy street without getting stares or even worse assumptions that I was crazy, so instead I continued to walk to school.

Sighing I was finally able to answer her, "Sorry Mai, you just caught me off guard, I wasn't expecting that."

_"__I know, and I'm sorry Serenity. How about I explain what happened when you get out from class, how does that sound?"_ She offered.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea, I'll be over around one okay." I replied with a sigh.

_"__Okay hun, I'll see you later then. I have to go and catch up on some sleep Ren, but just come in if I don't answer the door. You know where the extra key is at. See you later hun_." And with that the line on the other end broke.

"Bye Mai," I whispered as I put my phone back in my bag.

I kept walking to school looking at the floor, thinking about what just had occurred. None of it made sense to me at all, it was nerve-racking, maddening even. Again I ask myself, how could have this happened? Knowing my curiosity was going to get the best of me, I push the subject aside and focus on the walk ahead of me.

I could see the campus clearly now as I made my way onto the street it was located. Sighing in frustration, I peer down on my shoes as I consider just skipping my test and running back to Mai's. Of course if Joey found out I would defiantly get an ear-full that would last until he finally calmed down. Then, of course, he would call mom and the cycle would repeat itself until I learn from my mistake. Sighing at the mention of mom, I mentally pull my hair from the trouble that she and Joey have caused me.

Growing up almost blind, I had found solitude in drawing and painting. But when mentioning to my mother about wanting to become an artist and going to art school, she yelled at me for thinking such atrocities, arguing that being an artist would get me nowhere and to never speak of it again. Of course she had already planned out my career, not once ever considering if it was something I wanted to do.

When mentioning to Joey about how mom was being unfair – thinking that he would take my side – he shocked me by taking her side. Stating it would be good for me to become something I didn't dream for, not in those exact words, but meant it to that extent. Knowing in the back of my head that he had only agreed with her so that I would be kept busy and not bother with my social life, in his case dating.

Always the protective brother that he was and still is, he would go to extreme extents to keep me "innocent". At first I wasn't bothered by it, knowing that he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, and it made me feel better knowing that Tristen or Duke couldn't pull off anything without angering him. Then it got to the point where he overdid himself. Just the mere mention of me wanting to date set him off, yelling at whoever was near him. It angered me that I had no control over my life as both Joey and my mother had some control over it.

But that still didn't stop me. I was in a relationship, to a man I regretfully wish I had never met. The irony of it all was that love blinded me from reality. Everything seem so perfect, I was in my own fairy tale that no one knew, not even Joey. But all good things usually come to an end, and that end happened about six months into the relationship. I was heart-broken, but to him it seemed like nothing had happened, like I never happened. So I graduated high school accepting my fate.

Which now led to me attend Domino University, majoring in Business. What both Joey and my mother didn't know was that I was taking extra art courses on the side, taking just enough to earn me a minor by the end of the year.

Sighing, I made the last turn in which would lead me onto the campus. Noticing that I was still staring at the ground, specifically my shoes, I lift my head only to be knocked over by someone else, forcing us both to fall in unison.

"Oww," I squirm rubbing my now sore behind as I try to keep myself from glaring at the idiot who wasn't looking. Gazing up I finally see who the idiot was though it wasn't who I was expecting. Instead of the flustered freshman that I expected I would have bumped into, my eyes where gazing upon the most handsome man I had ever seen.

My eyes wandered to his beautifully sculpted face, his thin lips that captivated me along with his perfectly shaped nose and his creamy chocolate hair. Though what allured me the most was his oceanic blue eyes. I was mesmerized at how one man could look this good. If it wasn't for the smile on his face I could have easily mistaken him for someone familiar who I would not force myself to be reminded of; they looked so much alike.

Still smiling, he got up from the ground and offered me his hand, allowing me to see the rest of his figure. Of course I wasn't disappointed one bit. A guy with a face like his would also have a body to match it, his medium size built relaxing within the contours of his still wrinkle-free black business suit.

Feeling the already burning sensation along my cheeks I took his hand realizing how soft they were and finally getting up. Still blushing, I dust off the small rocks and dirt that appeared on my clothes. It took me a while though, when I finished my gaze returned back to his face.

He was gazing back at me in wonder and this made my cheeks redder. He chuckled at the obvious reddening of my face, still gazing at me, captivated almost.

Though before he could introduce himself, the one man I dreaded to hear or even see, ruined my encounter with this handsome look-alike.

"What do we have here," _Oh God no…_

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Good, bad? Should I continue it? Please review!_  
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	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone, I'm back with a new chapter! Now I know this chapter is quite short, and I apologize for it. I was expecting this chapter to be out sooner then I had hoped, but when your're a double major, time isn't really on your side, so again this story may be delayed at times. Hopefully when I'm done with this week of finals I would have more time to write, but for now just bare with me on this. (:

A HUGE thank you to the 3 reviewers that I received for the first chapter!

**Guest - **Whoever you are, thank you for being my first reviewer! It means a lot! As for breaking Joey and Mai up, well it was bound to happen in my story, but for a great cause! I just hope I have the time to write out that cause later on.

**Charismatic Beauty - **thank you for the welcome! To answer your question, this is a SxS fic though as the story progresses you'll understand why I added my OC character in it. Serenity's ex-lover was Seto, but again I'll explain little by little as I continue to write.

**Kingdom's Oathkeeper - **Thank you for the encouragement to continue! It means a lot that you guys are reading my work. And I'll try to put out more chapters as fast as I can, though as I explained, lets hope school won't be kicking my ass anytime soon!

Again thank you to those who have read my story! I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh, or any of the characters expect for my OC!

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Chapter 2

My Business

There he was.

Handsome as always, though cold and egotistical, he stood tall with his six foot two frame. His features stayed the same over the years, as if god, for some unknown purpose, magically blessed him with ageless skin. He hadn't aged in the last three years that I had seen him, a huge surprise was knowing he only slept for no more than a couple hours a night. At twenty-two he still looked as amazingly, without the slightest hint of wrinkles or bags.

His presence though had caught me off guard. What was he doing here at the university in the first place? If my memory could recall, Mokuba was still in high school finishing up his last year. And I knew for a certainty that he had already graduated from college, or at least that's what I thought. Though as a take a quick glance at him, there was some sort of anger showing within his features. I knew he was trying to hide it so both myself and this mysterious guy wouldn't recognize it, but being with the man for a certain time I knew damn well he was trying to hide his emotions.

What got me thinking though why he was angry in the first place? It didn't make any sense so I pushed the thought aside.

As the reddening of my cheeks began to diminish, the man next to me took this opportunity to welcome the famous CEO.

"Why, Mr. Kaiba, to what do we have the honor of your presence here this fine morning," he asked sarcastically. Of course the Kaiba caught on to the tone and his anger only strengthen.

As my gaze turned back to this mysterious and assertive man, I noticed him glaring at Kaiba almost with the same hatred the CEO was showing back.

"Why Mr. O'Neal, I would never have thought you would have the audacity to show your face at all, especially with people like _her_," he spat. I knew at this moment he was beyond pissed, but for reasons I still was confused about. Whoever this O'Neal guy was, somehow he and Kaiba had a history, and it didn't look good.

I wanted to run, not because I was already late for my test, though because of their confrontation. Watching these two men glaring at each other was a scary scene I didn't want to be a part of.

"Mr. Kaiba, if you would have thought our business arrangement was over you thought wrong. If anything I'm only here to gain some _assets_, you could say." O'Neal said, putting much emphasis to his statement.

It hit me then. The business suit, his demeanor, the way he stood – composed as ever, Mr. O'Neal had to be a business man, if not CEO of his own company. Because if he wasn't, who else would have the nerve to talk to Kaiba like that without being dealt with or worse dead.

As both men stood tall – Kaiba with his arms folded against his chest and O'Neal with his hands inside the pockets of his business pants – it wasn't until I made my sudden move to run that both took the liberty of stopping their little feud and acknowledge my presence.

Turning red again, I gazed at both men, and reddening even more by the fact that they appeared so much alike, almost acted alike as well. It took all my will power not to run like a scared little girl. Upon seeing my blush, O'Neal's sly features disappeared, now grinning again while letting out a small chuckle.

"How rude of me to ignore such a lovely women like yourself for matters of business," he apologized. "My name is David O'Neal, CEO and founder of O'Neal Industries." With this he extended his hands again towards me.

Pulling off the best smile that I could, I took his hand for the second time this morning and shook it. His grin only spread further as he then took my hand and kissed the top of it. My eyes widen at what he had done, though through his expression I noticed that he had done it to toy with the CEO that I completely forgot was still present, and had no doubt witness our little scene.

I had no doubt though that Kaiba would even care, let alone interrupt.

"Let's go," I look up to see a stern look on Kaiba's face, I guess I had spoken to soon. With those words, he grabbed my untaken hand and dragged me away, forcing me to let go of Mr. O'Neal's hand.

As I look back, Mr. O'Neal demeanor completely changed, suddenly sending shivers up my shine. His eyes glared to the back of Kaiba's as we continue to walk away. Though what scared me was his glare that could easily scare anyone out of their wits even if you weren't at the receiving end of it. It was just like Kaiba's, except more petrifying; I wanted to hide and never come out.

His gaze though shifted from Kaiba's to mine, and as he noticed the scared look I had from witnessing his glare, his face softened almost immediately, giving me a sympathetic smile. With a worried expression, he turned back around and headed towards a limo that was apparently awaiting him.

Once he was gone I focused my attention back on to Kaiba, who still had a grip on me as it began to hurt. Wincing from the oncoming pain, I tried to shake my hand free to no avail, only receiving a greater grip. I whimper from the pain, no longer wanting to go through this torture.

"Let me go," I pleaded as he kept dragging me to the building my class was held, almost as if he knew where it was. Though instead of answering me, he kept walking, ignoring my cries for release.

As we near my class we stop at a corner, relieved that he finally let go. Instead of trying to get an answer from him as to why he dragged me away from the other CEO, I grasp my hand soothing the bruise that was starting to form and walked off.

Of course it wasn't as an easy escape as I thought it would be. Taking a hold of my shoulder, he spun me around so that I was facing him. Avoiding his face, I utterly stare at his tones chest, almost seeing his contours through his light blue shirt. I bite the inside of my lip from trying not to blush, wanting this moment to be over so that I could go to class and attempt to finish a test with…my gaze suddenly shifts to my watch and almost cry out as I realized I only had thirty minutes left. I was so screwed.

Not wanting to miss more then I already had, I get the courage to finally look up to his face to only see...nothing. His face showed no emotions whatsoever, though a part of me wanted to touch his face like I had once done before. It took all my will power not to do so, as memories from our past emerged through my head.

It sadden me to know that the only reason he was with me in the first place was to use me to get to Joey. After the break, Kaiba had forbidden Mokuba from ever speaking to me, though that gave the younger Kaiba more reason to disobey his older brother. I was fond of the younger Kaiba, he was much as a little brother to me as he was to Kaiba. So it wasn't a big surprise to find him at the apartment right after he had found out why the break up happened to inform me.

His plan though never transpired, in some sense, since Joey never knew that I was in a relationship in the first place. I could remember the days that Kaiba would get mad at me for not informing Joey of our newly relationship, as it became clear to me afterwards as to why he expressed so much anger. But in a deeper sense, I knew there was good in his heart, why else would he love Mokuba as much as he does. That boy was his life, whether he realized it or not.

Gazing up into his blue eyes made me comprehend how much I truly missed him, even after everything that he had done. I wanted to go back to the times when we were happy, though it was I who expressed most of that happiness. I wanted to be in his arms and have them hold me tightly and never let go. But most of all I wanted him to kiss me, to make me believe that we were the only two living souls around with no one to criticize us, even if at times he hadn't meant the kiss at all.

I wanted my fairy tale.

But who I was I kidding, fairy tales didn't exist, this was reality. Reality was a cruel as his stares, unforgiving and cold. I learned that the hard way, it made me grow up and realize that life wasn't fair, nor would it ever. Being closed up from it then having to face it head on only to fall to your knees in heart-break was the stepping stone that I needed to push me. I'm still that little girl who needs the protection of her older brother, though was no longer naive or gullible.

"Why," I asked, practically a whisper.

He knew I hadn't meant about the events that recently happened, though to our break-up. And as I still gaze into his eyes, I could see his struggle with himself if he should answer or not. I waited, like I have been for the past three years to know the answer to my question that I wanted answered by him and him alone. It was until he closed his eyes that I got the answer that I needed.

He wasn't going to give me an explanation. Not even a word.

Sighing, I took my gaze away from him noting how for the first time in my life I knew what I had to do now.

Taking a step back, I took control of my life for the very first time and began heading towards my class. I could feel his stare on my back, anticipating the moment that he would walk away as well, as he had once done in his life.

But this was Kaiba we were talking about, and as far as I knew Kaiba's never quit.

"Wheeler, wait." His words stopped me. Though before he could utter another word, another lie to whatever it was that he wanted from me, I turned my head to look at him once more, only this time with more confidence than I ever had.

"Goodbye Kaiba," I spoke, breaking the awkwardness, and breaking the last kind of hold he had on me forever.

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So what did you think about my OC and Seto's and Serenity's encounter? Please review!


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